Meet Joshua Watts of Disc Golf Adventure Bros

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Watts.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Joshua. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I once met a man who at 70 years old would go to the doctors only to be given a literal prescription for more disc golf, and now I am becoming that man. Here’s how: After losing my position as a municipal employee for the Town of Gilbert 7 years ago due to mental and physical health problems, I decided on a new path. I bought a bike with my retirement money. That bike leads me to a disc golf course recently installed in our greenbelt at Johnson Ranch. Immediately, I remembered as a kid in 1982 at a park called Twila Reid in Anaheim, California playing disc golf with my father. It was the only time we played disc golf, clearly remembering the difficulty of frisbee golf and simply just not understanding how to throw a frisbee for distance and at a metal basket planted in the ground some two hundred feet away.

Back then you had to buy a special frisbee at a specific weight to be any good. Well, we must have picked the wrong ones. Fast forward 30 years and here I was staring at a disc golf basket wondering if I should revisit 1982. I showed my wife the baskets and she bought me my first “plastic”. Just a few short days later I got my first disc golf ace. The curse of 1982 had been lifted and I was hooked for life. I began playing leagues and took over my first league at Paseo Vista Disc Golf Course which I ran for two consecutive years from 2013 to 2015. In July of that year, I played in the first of my three consecutive PDGA Amateur Disc Golf Championships. November of that year, I took first place in the Advanced Masters division in the Arizona States Championship tournament (https://www.pdga.com/player/55985/stats/2015).

Now in 2018, I have won my first tournament as a professional player. Professional disc golfers play for cash while amateurs play for trophy only. During that time I have taken my Go Pro on my travels and have now reached 50 videos on my YouTube channel called Disc Golf Adventure Bros. Its to document my travels, my progress, and ultimately showcase my love for the sport that has saved my life. I used to be sick monthly, culminating in a hospital visit for pneumonia I got from a severe case of valley fever around 2010 I believe. Since playing disc golf, I’m off all my medication previously responsible for losing my job. I have only been sick a handful of times and maintain an increase of good health with exercise, Epsom salt baths, better diet, and basically this guy just walking through a park throwing a Frisbee and breathing like there’s not a care in the world.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Some of the struggles along the way are adapting to new environments. Playing in the desert is the complete opposite of playing in the forest. Playing in Phoenix altitude is the complete opposite of playing in altitudes in other states such as Idaho, Oregon, Washington. These attitudes affect the stability of the disc or overall behavior of the disc. For example, a disc you throw in Washington may go left but thrown in Phoenix it may decide to go straight or may even fade right on you.

Most disc golf courses in the Midwest have introduced me to poison ivy, poison oak, ticks, the possibility of Lyme disease, chiggers, poisonous snakes, sumac, and other hostile plants. Also, back to the mental health issues. Once suffering from depression and crippling anxiety, disc golf has taught me to be patient, adept at focusing, clear thought, and sometimes walking through a beautiful disc golf course can now sometimes put me to sleep. So even a bad day of disc golf means a good night’s rest. It has changed my diet, my drinking habits, and overall mental health behavior.

Overcoming negative thinking because negative thinking only produces negative results. Disc Golf has taught me to think positive. I see life in a whole new way. The other struggle is the balance between time and money. To be good a disc golf you need plenty of time. To play tournaments and travel, you must have lots of money. So I have chosen to work part-time to make the money needed to play while giving me the time to practice the sport which I love dearly.

Please tell us about Disc Golf Adventure Bros.
Disc Golf Adventure Bros is a venture started to show other players courses they may not have seen before. Through the YouTube channel, I have had success in networking with other disc golfers across the country who can use each other’s home as free Air Bnbs.

Thus when I travel to other states, I have a home and friends to stay with. What sets us apart is travel becomes personal and rewarding. Staying at hotels is impersonal and is sometimes a very unhealthy way of life. Staying with friends you meet during your travels allows you a deeper fulfillment in life.

The way you take care of the friends that visit from out of town to the way your disc golf friends reciprocate by taking care of you in their own homes. It’s greatly rewarding for both parties no matter on what end you find yourself, whether it be host or guest.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would go back to 1982 and keep playing. Disc Golf teaches you to never give up. True champions keep their head up even in high water because nothing is decided until the last hole is played.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pdga.com
• Phone: 520*251*8166
• Email: stillerwhistmanpryce@yahoo.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paseovistadiscgolfcommunity/
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/stiller.pryce

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